Means for laying submarine cables



1965 lSAO lSHlKl 3,217,499

MEANS FOR LAYING SUBMARINE CABLES INVENTOR. Fig 6 ISAO ISHIKI AGENT NOV. 16, 1965 s o sl-" 3,217,499

MEANS FOR LAYING SUBMARINE CABLES Filed May 1, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.7

INVENTOR. ISAO ISHIKI AGE/VT United States Patent 3,217,499 MEANS FOR LAYING SUBMARINE CABLES Isao Ishilri, Kanagawa-kn Yokohama-sin, Japan, assignor to Kabushilri Kaisha Eliara Seisalrusho President: Isei Hatalreyama, Tokyo, Japan Filed May 1, 1962, Ser. No. 191,524 3 Claims. (Cl. til-72.4)

This invention relates to improved means for laying submarine cables. More particularly the invention relates to means connected with a mother ship or boat and propelled along the bottom of a body of water, such means having provision for digging a trench, depositing a submarine cable therein, and filling the trench.

In some former cable laying devices, a hose was connected to the mother ship and pumps supplied fluid under pressure to jet away mud and rock on the bottom to form a trench to receive the cable. This arrangement was often unsatisfactory, especially in heavy seas when motion of the mother ship would cause rupture of the cable.

The disadvantages of the former devices are overcome by the device of this invention.

An object of this invention is the provision of a sled-like device which is towed along the bottom of a body of water and carries power means to dig a trench to receive a submarine cable.

A second object of this invention is the provision of means to supply power to the sled-like device from the mother ship.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a sled-like device adapted to be towed along the bottom of a body of water and having electrically operated pump for forcing fluid under pressure through nozzles to dig a trench in the mud in which to lay a cable.

These and other objects will appear upon considera tion of the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings like parts and elements are represented by like characters of reference.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically the device of this invention in use;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of FIG. 5, partly in section along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a slope measuring device on the cable layer;

FIG. 9 is a vertical section through a portion of the slope measuring device, and

FIG. 10 shows diagrammatically means to check the contour of the bottom of a body of water.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, 11 represents the mother ship which carries a drum on which the cable 12 is wound and from which it is paid out in being laid on the bottom 17 of a body of water. The ships power plant 14 supplies power for a generator 15. Cables 16 extend from the ship 11 to the runners 22 on the sled-lke device 18, to tow same along the bottom 17 of a body of water. On the sled-like member 18, there is a pump 19 powered by a submarine electric motor. A suitable conductor cable 21 connects the generator with the motor 20.

The sled-like member comprises side members or runners 23 having front portion 22 as mentioned above. The side frame members 23 are connected by end frame members 26, 26. The pump 19 is provided with a screened intake 24. The discharge 25 is branched and the branches connect to two substantially parallel rearwardly tapered jet pipes each having a plurality of slightly rearwardly and downwardly and inwardly directed nozzles 28. Fluid, in this case water, under pressure from the pump 19 issues from the nozzles in jets and forces mud and rock from the bottom 17 to form a suitable trench 29 into which the cable 12 is laid. The vertical boards 30 attached to the frame of the sled-like member 18 prevents scattering of the mud, rock, etc., and cause same to be directed rearwardly to fill the trench over previously laid portions of the cable 12.

A slope measuring or level meter 31 is placed at each corner of the sled-like member 18. These meters show the level at all points on the sled-like member. The members 31 are connected to suitable indicating means on the mother ship.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, I show a modified form of the cable layer 18. Here the sled-like member 35 is provided with two motors 36 each driving a pump 37. The frame 38 is connected to runners 45 which are further connected by additional members 138. Each pump 37 has a discharge pipe 39 which extends first forwardly, then bends downwardly and rearwardly. Each pipe 39 is provided on its forward portion with a plurality of downwardly, inwardly and rearwardly directed nozzles 40. The pipes 39 are supported by a pair of vertical longitudinally extending boards 41 connected to the frame of the sled-like member 35. A board 41 extends downwardly and rearwardly between the boards 41 and has spaced openings 41 through which the nozzles 40 extend. This arrangement prevents scattering of the mud and sand so that it is caused to cover a cable 12 as it is laid in a trench formed by the jets 40. A funnel 42 is mounted between the boards 41 to guide the cable 12 to the trench. The cable 12 passes between the lower guide roller 43 and upper guide rollers 44 on its way to the trench. The runners 45 are hollow, as seen at the right in FIG. 7, and may be filled with ballast to sink the sled-like member or they may be exhausted to partial vacuum to float the sled-like member 35, or to reduce its weight so that it slides readily over the bottom 17.

Elevation meter 46 in case 47 comprises a pair of self synchronous servo mechanisms, generally known as Selsyns, 48 and 49, These Selsyns are connected with Selsyns 53, 54 respectively on the mother ship.

Scales 58 and 59 are respectively associated with Selsyns 53 and 54, and the shafts 55 of these Selsyns carry pointers 56 and 57 respectively cooperating with the scales 58 and 59.

The Selsyns 48 and 49 have respective shafts Sil, 50' on which vare affixed pendulous weights 51, 52 respectively. The shafts 5t), 50 are in substantially the same horizontal plane and are arranged at an angle of to one another. The numerals '72, 72 respectively rep resent the conductor lines connecting the Selsyns 4 8, 53 and 49, 54. Thus when there is any change in level of the sled-like member 35, a weight 51 or 52, or both, will swing the armature of its respective Selsyn generator and cause an indicator 56 or 57 or both to move over a scale 58 or 59. This enables operators on the mother ship to study the contour of the bottom 17.

In order to study the unevenness of the bottom 17, I provide a plate 60 hinged at 61 on the rear of the runner 45. Where the bottom 17 is substantially level in the forward to rear direction, the plate 61) remains as shown in solid lines in FIG. 10. The switch 62 has an operating rod 63 that is in the casing 70. The rod 63 carries one Contact 67, which, as shown, engages a stationary contact 66 to close a circuit including the generator 68 and a light or other signal 69. The contact 67 is urged toward the contact 66 by spring 65. Where there is a slope or drop below the plate 60, it will assume a position, such as the dotted line position in FIG. 10. This may indicate such a depression, not noted by the meter 47, that might be the cause of no trench being dug at this point, and leave the cable 12 exposed on the bottom 17. In such cases it becomes necessary to operate the cable layer very slowly or to change its direction slightly to insure that a trench is properly dug and the cable 12 installed therein. Also care must be exercised not to overturn the sled-like mechanism. The cables 71, 72 and '73 are brought in a group 74 from the mother ship through a guide 76 on the sledlike member 35, and held in position by a frame '75.

I claim:

1. A machine for laying a cable under a submarine surface comprising a sled adapted to be towed along said surface and having parallel side runners equally spaced from a vertical plane centrally thereof, said runners having supporting surfaces in a horizontal plane, conduits mounted on said sled adjacent the runners and making an angle with said horizontal plane to dispose the rear end of each conduit at a greater distance fro-m said horizontal plane than the forward end, a row of nozzles mounted on each of said conduits with each nozzle directed downwardly, rearwardly, and toward said vertical plane, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said conduits and nozzles for opening a trench in said surface, cable guiding means on the front of the sled for guiding the cable below the level of the conduits to the bottom of the trench in said vertical plane,

and confining means mounted on the sled between the runner and the nozzles on each side of the vertical plane and extending below the runners and nozzles and increasing in depth rearwardly to a point beyond the nozzles to prevent scattering of the bottom material removed by the pressurized fluid and to direct said material rearwardly to fill the trench.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the means for supplying fluid under pressure comprises a pump and an electric motor for driving the pump mounted on the sled.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein the confining means comprises a board adjacent each conduit mounted on the sled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 815,163 3/1906 Hatfield 6l72.4 2,194,947 3/ 1940 Lawton 6l72.4 2,248,243 7/1941 Lawton 6l72.6 X 2,659,211 11/1953 Notarbartolo 6l72.4 2,693,085 11/ 1954 Salnikov 6l72.4 2,755,632 7/ 1956 Hauoer et al. 6 1-72.4 3,010,214 11/1961 Postlewaite 33215 FOREIGN PATENTS 524,828 8/1940 Great Britain.

675,759 7/ 1952 Great Britain. 1,156,475 12/1957 France.

EARL I. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR LAYING A CABLE UNDER A SUBMARINE SURFACE COMPRISING A SLED ADAPTED TO BE TOWED ALONG SAID SURFACE AND HAVING PARALLEL SIDE RUNNERS EQUALLY SPACED FROM A VERTICAL PLANE CENTRALLY THEREOF, SAID RUNNERS HAVING SUPPORTING SURFACES IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, CONDUITS MOUNTED ON SAID SLED ADJACENT THE RUNNERS AND MAKING AN ANGLE WITH SAID HORIZONTAL PLANE TO DISPOSE THE REAR END OF EACH CONDUIT AT A GREATER DISTANCE FROM SAID HORIZONTAL PLANE THAN THE FORWARD END, A ROW OF NOZZLES MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID CONDUITS WITH EACH NOZZLE DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY, REARWARDLY, AND TOWARD SAID VERTICAL PLANE, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID CONDUITS AND NOZZLES FOR OPENING A TRENCH IN SAID SURFACE, CABLE GUIDING MEANS ON THE FRONT OF THE 